The Aurora Public Schools Board member and House District 42 candidate at the center of allegations he has invented much of his resume – including numerous academic degrees and an illustrious military career – refused to step down from the school board Tuesday night after all but one of his fellow board members asked for his resignation.

“I have no intention of resigning from this board,” a calm Eric Nelson told the school board more than three hours into its regular meeting. “The people of Aurora elected me to do this job, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Nelson’s defiant response promises to extend the controversy that has engulfed the Aurora Democrat since an investigation by The Colorado Statesman last week first revealed numerous questions about his background, including dozens of criminal charges spanning more than a decade, a resume littered with unsubstantiated claims and a history of representing himself as a retired Air Force captain – or major, in some instances – despite only serving eight weeks in the military.

“I would like to know by a show of hands if my fellow board members will join me in requesting Director Nelson’s immediate resignation for the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education,” said APS board President Amber Drevon, and five of the seven board members raised their hands. Only Nelson and APS Director Barbara Yamrick appeared to disagree.

Nelson had first declined to address the allegations, instead saying he would respond to whatever the rest of the board had to say.

“Aurora Public Schools Board members have the responsibility to be honest and transparent with our community,” Drevon said, reading from a statement she released on Monday. “As APS Board of Education president, I want to assure you that my fellow board members and I take the allegations against Director Eric Nelson very seriously, and we are actively looking into this matter.”

She admitted that it didn’t appear that the board could remove Nelson from office, although she directed district staff to remove his biography from the APS website, along with any photographs of him “wearing academic regalia.”

As of late Tuesday night, Nelson’s once-lengthy biography was nearly all erased from the website, reading simply, “Eric D. Nelson was elected in 2013 for a four-year term.”

Drevon also won approval for motions to strip Nelson of his role as board secretary and remove him from all positions and organizations associated with his membership on the school board.

Then it was Nelson’s turn to speak.

After declaring that he wouldn’t resign, Nelson added, “Furthermore, I find it profound and unnecessary for the board to ask me to step down from my position as secretary and be removed from committee and school assignments when my duties are clearly being fulfilled without incident, regardless of my personal life.”

“In order to save time, money, further distraction and to provide the board time to appoint a replacement member for the upcoming school year, I am hopeful you will submit your resignation to me by the end of the week,” Drevon responded.

If Nelson doesn’t resign by Friday, the board plans to consider its options at its next meeting, in early August.

Nelson refused to speak with reporters during a brief break after the discussion, saying only that his statement stood. He hasn’t responded to requests for comment from The Statesman for more than a week.

Voters have a chance to weigh in on Nelson in next week’s Democratic primary for the House District 42 seat currently held by state Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora.

Fields, who is term-limited and seeking a state Senate seat, last week called on Nelson to drop out of the legislative race, a position also taken by House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder, and the House Majority Project, the organization that works to elect Democrats to the House.

Nelson is facing Dominique “Nikki” Jackson in the primary for the Democratic nomination. Republican Mike Donald is unopposed for the GOP nomination in the heavily Democratic Aurora district.

Ballots in the all-mail election went out two weeks ago and are due June 28.

State Rep. Alec Garnett, D-Denver, who chairs the House Majority Project, last week in an unprecedented step endorsed Jackson and said the organization would use its resources to support her candidacy.

“I am deeply disturbed by the revelations regarding Mr. Nelson’s criminal history, and other misrepresentations,” Garnett in response to a report by The Statesman. “Coloradans are looking for leaders they can trust and the Democratic Party strives to be their standard bearer.”

– ernest@coloradostatesman.com